Medan to light all layers

Medan to light all layers

MEDAN, North Sumatra: The Medan administration is insisting on carrying out a project to light all alleys in the North Sumatra capital with 65,000 lamps at the end of 2003, despite power shortages.

The project, however, will likely be stalled owing to a limited power supply, with a deficit of 150 megawatts for the next four months, according to state electricity company PLN in Medan.

Maradjohan Tarigan, spokesman for PLN's northern Sumatra distribution network, told The Jakarta Post the company had just started to overhaul the turbines of its gas power generator in Belawan regency, which is responsible for the shortages.

"When the additional supply of 16 megawatts from PT Arun and 40 megawatts from PT Inalum is realized to cover the power deficit, the city alley illumination project will not be a problem," he said.

Maradjohan said that if power was to be distributed for the city's illumination project now, the supply for households and factories would have to be cut.

Randiman Tarigan, head of the Medan planning office, said the project should go ahead because the administration had already installed around 20,000 lamps and had procured another 3,000. --JP